Lucas took a moment, scenarios flashing through his head of what could go wrong.

Yet, as he took into account all the expecting looks he was being shot, he realized that this was probably a good chance to get the team to feel like he was one of them. Sure, he knew the school had more security systems set up than most places, but if they got caught he would probably be seen as just a kid trying to get accepted by the football team. On the plus side, by seeing just how much security was set up near the sport facilities, he could probably add or rule it out to his list of places where the object could potentially be.

He cracked a smile. "I have to admit, the swim team hasn't really given a good first impression," he said.

"That's the spirit!" Danny praised him while another player slapped him on the back. "So..." Danny looked around, "Any other volunteers?"

To Lucas' surprise, hands shot up all around; Nathan wasn't one of them.

"I lost a lot of points last term," he told Lucas sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Got blasted by the old man. Don't really want to start off the same way this time around."

"Alright, Rick," Danny began to pick out players.

"Peter...and Sam...maybe we'll leave it at four after all," Danny finished.

There were protests from those who hadn't been chosen. Danny ignored them. He jumped from the table and walked to Rick. "Here." He gave him the bottle. "There's two more at the door." He pointed. "I hear it's pretty strong stuff, so that should be enough." He shot a glance at Lucas. "Take care of the new kid." Walking to Lucas, he passed to thump him twice on the back. "Try not to get caught," he advised with a wink.

Lucas resisted the urge to smile at that one. If only Danny knew.

"Alrighty, boys!" Danny turned back to the room. "How about we have a little welcome party for the newbie while we're here?" he shot Lucas a wicked smile. "It'll give those leaving an alibi!"

There were cheers all around as the room returned to chaos.

Rick pushed his way over to Lucas and the other two boys joined.

"Looks like they're going to be no further help," Sam commented.

Peter grinned. "Did you expect anything more?"

"A welcome party without the main guest." Sam only shook his head.

He and Peter were on the taller side. It made Rick look a lot shorter than he was as he stood next to them.

Lucas had already figured out that Sam was from within the country while Peter was from Angola. The latter was a phenomenal football player who had attained three scholarships offered to prestigious universities. It surprised the EXHO agent that Danny would let such a promising player go along on their adventure. He would have thought that due to the upcoming game, the captains wouldn't want to risk any valuable players getting in trouble. Apparently, that wasn't the case.

"Alright," Rick lifted the bottle of dye. "Any ideas on how to do this?" He had to yell to be heard over the growing noise.

"I say get in as fast as we can, dump the stuff and make a run for it," came Sam's response.

Lucas shook his head. "The bottles are bulky, they'll make stealth harder and moving in slower. If there's a patrol and you're caught with them on you it'll be hard to explain..." he trailed off as he realized all other three were listening to him intently.

"So...do you have any ideas?" Rick prompted.

Lucas paused. Stage one; surveillance on the security system. Stage two; come up with strategy and gather appropriate gear. Stage three; approach target, avoiding all contact with security. Disconnect cameras, if in the area, or send out pulse to kill them. Stage four; get rid of any hindrances. Stage five; approach target and dispatch dye. Stage six; leave the scene. Stage seven; get rid of any evidence... it all ran through his head in a flash. He mentally told himself off. High school, his mind reminded as he looked up at the three guys watching, waiting for an answer. "We still have an hour till curfew..." he began, "technically it wouldn't be too suspicious if we went out for a late practice, right?"

Rick cocked his head to the side in question while Sam and Peter exchanged glances.

"In the case someone sees us the party here won't be an alibi. We need an excuse for being out so late...just in case," Lucas began. He hoped the others would catch on so it didn't seem like he was coming up with everything.

"So...if we're caught we simply say we were practicing?" Peter asked.

Lucas nodded.

"If we're caught in the pool area we can always say we were dared to take a dip...it would keep us out of trouble for the night," Rick suggested.

The others nodded.

"Then how would we explain this?" Sam asked nodding to the bottle Rick held.

A smile spread across Lucas' face. "We could just pour it into our water bottles."

The guys exchanged glances.

"Genius," Rick declared.

"Sounds good," Sam agreed. He shot a glance at his watch. "We'll need to figure out the rest on the way. Time's ticking."

"Alright then. Grab your water bottles. Lucas get a football, and put something on that'll look like you're out to practice," Rick took over.

"Preferably, something dark," Lucas suggested.

"Sounds good. Let's make it quick," Rick agreed.

The guys hurried off. Lucas and Peter grabbed the two remaining bottles on the way. They split; each rushing to their room, with the intention to meet outside.

Lucas left the bottle of dye outside his room before he burst in. His quiet roommate looked up from his work.

"Going for some late practice," Lucas explained as he pulled on a pair of black training pants. Brain only grunted in response. When he turned away, Lucas took the opportunity to pull a handful of bugs from their hiding place. He dumped them into the side of his socks, a place where he would be easily able to access them, yet not visible to others.

Snatching up his water bottle, and football, he headed for the door.

"See you," he told Brian.

No reply was given.

With the football under one arm and his water bottle in the other, Lucas went to the rendezvous point. On the way, he noted that the door to Jamie's room was open a crack. The teen scowled, wondering what it was with the constant surveillance from the boy. He would definitely have to look into it.

Brushing the thought aside for later, he reached the area just outside of the dorm. Peter was already there and so the two off them proceeded out to fill the dye into their bottles.

"Hope we don't have to throw these away afterwards," Peter commented as he shot a remorseful look at his bottle with the logo of a popular football club on it.

"It's not very toxic," Lucas replied. "Wash it in boiling water and it'll be fine," he added.

That cheered Peter up.

Sam joined them not a minute later and Rick wasn't far behind, a backpack in one hand.

"Alright then," Rick spoke as they screwed their bottles shut. "What about this?" he held up the now empty dye bottles.

"Dump em," Sam suggested with a shrug. "There's a dumpster on the way."

They headed out, doing just that. After they had thrown the original bottles away, they made their way towards the fields.

"Think we should actually practice some ahead?" Peter asked as he shot a nervous glance around. "You know; kick the ball back and forth a bit....just in case someone is watching?"

"Wouldn't hurt," Lucas agreed as he dropped the ball.

"We're running out of time," Sam argued.

"We need to set up an alibi," Rick replied, outvoting him.

Lucas passed the ball to Peter who responded by flicking it up. He kicked it from one knee to the other before flicking it around and balancing it on the back of his neck. He kept it there for a few seconds before moving it off and passing it on to Rick.

"Sure hope that those Bel girls come for our game," Sam sighed. His thoughts were anywhere but on the task at hand.

"Won't it be more of a distraction than anything?" Lucas murmured.

"Ha," Rick responded as he passed the ball off to Sam. "I know for a fact that my game gets better."

Peter grinned. "I think that's the same all the way around."

Lucas' eyes roamed the area around them as he only half listened to the conversation. He was on the lookout for anyone watching, his instincts on high alert. As far as he could see, there was no one around. But, he knew from experience, vision was not a sense that should be relied upon; it was very limiting on its own.

They kept at it for ten minutes before they decided that they had better make a move or they wouldn't make it in time for curfew. Lucas stuffed the football into Rick's backpack and the four boys set out on their mission.

Out of the three boys with Lucas, only Sam looked calm. Rick and Peter had a mixture of excitement and nervousness mixed on their faces as they hurried towards the gym. They reached the front doors.

"It's locked. Locks at eight," Sam said. "The side doors at ten."

Rick peered in at the room filled with trophies before he tried the glass doors anyway; they wouldn't budge. "So...how do we get in?" Rick asked as he turned around.

Even though different possible ways flashed through Lucas' mind, he didn't say a word. He couldn't let the boys know just how well he knew the layout of the place.

Peter nodded to the right. "There's a set of windows they always keep cracked in the lockers room.

The image flashed through Lucas' mind. Most likely they won't have cameras set up in the locker rooms, he brought up his memory from the tour Auden had given him. It's also a good way to get to the pool without having to cut through all the other rooms. Less security to get by... "Where?" he asked.

Peter lead the way while Rick shot nervous looks around. They went around a corner and hurried along the walls before Peter came to a stop. He pointed up.

All the boys followed the direction of his finger. Just as he had said, there was a window slightly open.

Old fashioned, Lucas noted in surprise. However, it was a good thing. If it was a newer type then he was sure that opening it more than a crack would be next to impossible.

"Thank goodness they want to keep that room aired," Sam grinned. He turned to Lucas. "You want to go first, or should I do the honors?"

Lucas's reply was to hand Sam his water bottle. "Give me a boost," he told Peter, even though he knew he didn't really need it. But something told him if he made a run and scaled the wall, more questions would arise than he wanted to answer.

Peter responded by cupping his hands before him. Lucas placed one foot in it.

"Ready?" Peter asked.

Rick was looking around all the while, nervousness clearly written on his face as he peered into the night for any watching eyes.

"One," Peter began, "Two...three," he pushed his hands up at the same time as Lucas pushed off with the one leg that was on the ground. The boast was enough for him to reach the window ledge. He grabbed it and hung for a moment before he reached out with one hand to open the window further; it wouldn't budge.

"You okay there?" Sam asked.

Lucas didn't reply as his free hand roamed along the inside of the window. He had hung from places much higher than this; places where falling meant certain death. His fingers found what he was looking for, a latch with which one could control the degree to which the window opened. He turned it to loosen the window. As soon as he had done it enough, he was able to push the window all the way up and open. He pulled himself up and right through. Dropping on the other side, he landed in the locker rooms in a crouch; his feet not making a sound. He froze, his eyes drifting around. It was darker in here, and he waited patiently as his eyes slowly adjusted. There were lockers all around.

As far as he could see, there were no blinking lights; just as he had expected, there really weren't any cameras.

"Yo, Lucas?" he heard Rick call.

Acting quickly, Lucas pulled out a bug and placed it. Just to be sure, he told himself before turning to the window. He pulled himself up on it and glanced out. The other three guys were peering up.

"Anyone in there?" Sam asked playfully.

"Just smelly clothes," Lucas replied.

"Alright then." Sam tossed up a water bottle. Lucas caught it and deposited it behind him. Three more bottles and the backpack came his way.

"Alright, coming up," Sam warned.

Lucas moved away from the window, giving Sam the space he needed. The other boy clambered in after a leg up from Peter. Lucas winced as Sam's feet made a loud thump as he landed. Sam didn't even seem to notice. Peter followed before Lucas and Sam leaned out the window and pulled up Rick.

"Whoa, it's dark," Rick commented. He pulled out a flashlight but Lucas' hand caught him.

"Your eyes will adjust soon," he told him.

"He's right," Peter agreed. "Besides, flashlights will heighten the chances of us getting caught."

"You guys coming or what?" Sam, who was already at the door, asked. The pool was on the other side, the one sports facility that was right next to the changing rooms.

"Wait!" Peter hissed before Sam could step outside.

The boy paused.

Peter turned Rick around and pulled something out of the backpack. He threw something to each person.

Lucas glanced down to see that he was holding a black stocking. He shot Peter an admiring look. The boy had thought things through.

"Cameras," Peter explained as Sam gave him a questioning look. "Who knows if they have them in there."

Sam shrugged and pulled the stocking over his face. Lucas did the same.

"What I want to know," Rick began as he stared at the stocking in his hands. "Is why you have this."

"The Fairy Tale event," Peter replied as he slipped his own stocking over his face.

Rick winced. "Wish that could be blotted from my memory," he muttered as he slipped the stocking over his head.

Lucas didn't bother to voice that if there were cameras, they could be found out a million different ways; from the unique way they each walked to the fact that their water bottles each had a different design on them that could be easily traced to the perpetrator.

I'm a student, Lucas reminded himself. That means I' m not expected to think of every detail.

"Alright, let's hurry and do this," Sam whispered as he opened the door.

The others followed.

"Where's the water?" Rick asked as they came to a standstill.

"Covered," Peter replied.

Lucas stared at the area where the pool should have been. It was now just a flat surface.

"The controls are somewhere over here," Sam said as he used the wall to guide him some way to the side.

Lucas stepped back. While the boys searched for the switch, he pretended to do the same. However, he was placing bugs.

"Found it," Rick's triumphant voice called. A moment later the room flooded with light, blinding those inside.

"Idiot!" Sam hissed. "Turn it off!"

The lights went back off, leaving the boys in complete darkness. Lucas found he could barely see as all the adjusting his eyes had done was gone in a moment.

Lucas felt a thrill go through him. He didn't know why...but for some reason he seemed to be having fun.

"Snap," Peter muttered as stood, frozen.

"Someone was bound to have seen that," Sam muttered as he shot a glance towards the large windows to one side.

"The let's dump this and get out of here," Lucas whispered.

"I've got it this time," Rick called in a loud whispered. He pressed a button and there was a whir as the top covering the pool began to pull back.

Lucas wasted no time in heading for the edge of the pool. His limited sight made no difference to him. He knew the distance from what he had seen before, and his eyes were beginning to slowly re-adjust. Pulling out his water bottle he began to dump the contents.

Peter and Sam began to do the same.

"Rick," Peter turned to the boy at the controls. In response, Rick threw him his water bottle. Peter caught it and began to empty it too.

Lucas just finished his when they heard the jingling keys followed by voices. The beam of a flashlight appeared.

"Run!" Sam announced as the boy turned and sprinted towards the locker rooms. Rick abandoned his post to do the same. Lucas leapt to his feet. He ran to the controls and slammed a hand on the one he knew would close the pool back up. At once, the tarp began to move in the opposite direction, however, there was no way it would close all the way before the people, to whom the voices belonged, would reach them.

Peter, who had sprinted passed him, paused. He shot a look at the pool before exchanging glances with Lucas, realization flashing through his eyes.

"We need to stall them or they'll figure out something is up with the pool," he whispered.

Lucas followed him into the locker room. He knew Peter was right. Their plan wouldn't succeed if someone walked in while the tarp was still on the process of covering the pool. They would check the reason right away.

"Rick!" Peter hissed. The boy, who was right behind a Sam, who was already disappearing out of the window, paused. "Here," Peter tossed him the bottles.

"Where are you going?" Rick asked.

"I'll be right behind you," was Peter's calm reply.

Rick stuffed the bottles in his pack and pulled himself up on the window ledge.

The voices were a lot closer.

Peter turned in the direction of the opposite door in the locker rooms.

Lucas' hand shot out and grabbed him. "If they catch you," Lucas warned, "they'll know you were involved."

"With what evidence?" Peter asked with a grin as he held up his empty hands.

"They'll put two and two together," Lucas told him.

"Not if they don't catch me," Peter replied as he pulled himself free and headed to the door. He made no move to get rid of the stocking covering his face.

Lucas stood, frozen.

"Come on!" Rick called from where he was already half way out the window.

Lucas didn't budge.

He shot a glance towards where Peter had disappeared.

There was a loud crash and the voices suddenly rose.

"I told you there's someone here!" someone called as footsteps pounded away from the pool and locker room.

Never places someone else above the mission, Lucas' training reminded him. If someone falls, leave them. If someone is caught, all ties will be cut; your very existence will be wiped from our database. He winced as that brought up memories of missions he wished he could forget. He didn't want to remember how many had been left behind all those times. Yet ECHO was merciless. If you were caught, you were out; unless you found a miraculous way to escape without compromising the organization. There was no such thing as 'no man left behind'.

Yet, this wasn't a mission with ECHO.

"Guys!" Sam's voice hissed from outside.

Lucas couldn't understand why he was hesitating. His eyes darted to the window where Rick had just disappeared though. He walked a few steps towards it before pausing once more. His eyes drifted back to the door through which Peter had disappeared.